Leadership

Are You Too Loyal to Your Organization?

Loyalty has many benefits at work

Without it, there is little trust, commitment, or sense of team.

But there is also such a thing as overvaluing loyalty or being blindly loyal
Both research and real life have shown that overly loyal people are more likely to participate in unethical acts to keep their jobs

If you see something, say something

Use your influence to change the narrative around what an ethically loyal employee looks like
Now that you are educated and are aware of the harm that can be done by keeping quiet, speak up

Seek out ways to collaborate with your coworkers rather than compete with them

Be mindful of the subtle ways in which unhealthy competition may be bred in your organization
Avoid rendering certain teams or groups as villainous (i.e., outgroup hate), interpreting situations as zero-sum rather than win-win, and emphasizing that certain outcomes are low status

Both the employee and the employer benefit when employees are loyal

Loyal employees tend to have stronger bonds with others because of loyalty’s “binding effect”
Being loyal to your employer can improve your own performance, reduce job-related stress, and open up new opportunities

Take a step back and change how you think about the situation

Changing one’s perspective can influence how they think about and respond to dilemmas of loyalty
Adopt a non-typical mindset
Loyalty is an important value that can benefit you as a young professional in the start of a new job or career. Don’t be afraid to embrace it, but do remember to keep your eyes open

Loyalty can foster unethical behavior if not managed

Research has shown that employees that are too loyal to their organizations are less likely to blow the whistle on corruption
Much of the financial fraud that eventually led to Enron’s demise was fueled by employee loyalty
Theranos used employee loyalty to create silos between departments that needed to collaborate in order to develop safe and working products